Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

By default, cells formatted as a percentage display as many decimal places as you type in them. You can change this setting so all cells display the same number of decimal places.

Changes to decimal settings apply to both percentages and numbers in a selected range of cells. For example, if you change the format of a cell from a percentage to a decimal, the number of decimal places displayed doesn’t change.

  1. Select the cells or table you want to format.

  2. In the Format

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
     sidebar, click the Cell tab.

  3. Click the Data Format pop-up menu, then choose Percentage.

  4. Do any of the following:

    • Set the number of decimal places: In the Decimals field, type the number of decimal places you want to display. Numbers rounds the display value instead of truncating the display value. For example, if the value in the cell is “5.75” and you set the number of decimal places for the cell to 0 (zero), Numbers displays “6.”

    • Display as many decimal places as you type in each cell: Delete the number in the Decimals field, or click the Decimals down arrow until you reach the Auto setting.

    • Specify how negative values appear: Choose an option from the pop-up menu to the right of the Decimals field.

    • Show the thousands separator: Select the Thousands Separator checkbox.

If you format a cell that already contains a value, the value is assumed to be a decimal, and it’s converted into a percentage. For example, 3 becomes 300%.

If a percentage value is used in a formula, its decimal number version is used. For example, a value that displays as 3% is used as 0.03 in a formula.

Lesson 9: Formatting Cells

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Introduction

All cell content uses the same formatting by default, which can make it difficult to read a workbook with a lot of information. Basic formatting can customize the look and feel of your workbook, allowing you to draw attention to specific sections and making your content easier to view and understand. You can also apply number formatting to tell Excel exactly what type of data you’re using in the workbook, such as percentages (%), currency ($), and so on


Optional: Download our practice workbook.

To change the font:

By default, the font of each new workbook is set to Calibri. However, Excel provides many other fonts you can use to customize your cell text. In the example below, we'll format our title cell to help distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font command on the Home tab. The Font drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Select the desired font. A live preview of the new font will appear as you hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Georgia.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a font

  4. The text will change to the selected font.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The new font

When creating a workbook in the workplace, you'll want to select a font that is easy to read. Along with Calibri, standard reading fonts include Cambria, Times New Roman, and Arial.

To change the font size:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Size command on the Home tab. The Font Size drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Select the desired font size. A live preview of the new font size will appear as you hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we will choose 16 to make the text larger.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a new font size

  4. The text will change to the selected font size.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The new font size

You can also use the Increase Font Size and Decrease Font Size commands or enter a custom font size using your keyboard.

Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
Modifying the font size

To change the font color:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Font Color command on the Home tab. The Color menu will appear.
  3. Select the desired font color. A live preview of the new font color will appear as you hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Green.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a font color

  4. The text will change to the selected font color.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The new font color

Select More Colors at the bottom of the menu to access additional color options.

Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
Selecting more colors

To use the Bold, Italic, and Underline commands:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Click the Bold (B), Italic (I), or Underline (U) command on the Home tab. In our example, we'll make the selected cells bold.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Clicking the Bold command

  3. The selected style will be applied to the text.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The bold text

You can also press Ctrl+B on your keyboard to make selected text bold, Ctrl+I to apply italics, and Ctrl+U to apply an underline.

Text alignment

By default, any text entered into your worksheet will be aligned to the bottom-left of a cell, while any numbers will be aligned to the bottom-right. Changing the alignment of your cell content allows you to choose how the content is displayed in any cell, which can make your cell content easier to read.

Click the arrows in the slideshow below to learn more about the different text alignment options.

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Left align: Aligns content to the left border of the cell

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Center align: Aligns content an equal distance from the left and right borders of the cell

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Right Align: Aligns content to the right border of the cell

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Top Align: Aligns content to the top border of the cell

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Middle Align: Aligns content an equal distance from the top and bottom borders of the cell

  • Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

    Bottom Align: Aligns content to the bottom border of the cell

To change horizontal text alignment:

In our example below, we'll modify the alignment of our title cell to create a more polished look and further distinguish it from the rest of the worksheet.

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Select one of the three horizontal alignment commands on the Home tab. In our example, we'll choose Center Align.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing Center Align

  3. The text will realign.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The realigned cell text

To change vertical text alignment:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell

  2. Select one of the three vertical alignment commands on the Home tab. In our example, we'll choose Middle Align.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing Middle Align

  3. The text will realign.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The realigned cell text

You can apply both vertical and horizontal alignment settings to any cell.

Cell borders and fill colors

Cell borders and fill colors allow you to create clear and defined boundaries for different sections of your worksheet. Below, we'll add cell borders and fill color to our header cells to help distinguish them from the rest of the worksheet.

To add a border:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell range

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Borders command on the Home tab. The Borders drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Select the border style you want to use. In our example, we will choose to display All Borders.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a border style

  4. The selected border style will appear.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The added cell borders

You can draw borders and change the line style and color of borders with the Draw Borders tools at the bottom of the Borders drop-down menu.

Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
Drawing custom borders

To add a fill color:

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell range

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Fill Color command on the Home tab. The Fill Color menu will appear.
  3. Select the fill color you want to use. A live preview of the new fill color will appear as you hover the mouse over different options. In our example, we'll choose Light Green.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a cell fill color

  4. The selected fill color will appear in the selected cells.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The new fill color

Format Painter

If you want to copy formatting from one cell to another, you can use the Format Painter command on the Home tab. When you click the Format Painter, it will copy all of the formatting from the selected cell. You can then click and drag over any cells you want to paste the formatting to.

Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.

Watch the video below to learn two different ways to use the Format Painter.

Cell styles

Instead of formatting cells manually, you can use Excel's predesigned cell styles. Cell styles are a quick way to include professional formatting for different parts of your workbook, such as titles and headers.

To apply a cell style:

In our example, we'll apply a new cell style to our existing title and header cells.

  1. Select the cell(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell range

  2. Click the Cell Styles command on the Home tab, then choose the desired style from the drop-down menu. In our example, we'll choose Accent 1.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing a cell style

  3. The selected cell style will appear.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The new cell style

Applying a cell style will replace any existing cell formatting except for text alignment. You may not want to use cell styles if you've already added a lot of formatting to your workbook.

Formatting text and numbers

One of the most powerful tools in Excel is the ability to apply specific formatting for text and numbers. Instead of displaying all cell content in exactly the same way, you can use formatting to change the appearance of dates, times, decimals, percentages (%), currency ($), and much more.

To apply number formatting:

In our example, we'll change the number format for several cells to modify the way dates are displayed.

  1. Select the cells(s) you want to modify.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Selecting a cell range

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to the Number Format command on the Home tab. The Number Formatting drop-down menu will appear.
  3. Select the desired formatting option. In our example, we will change the formatting to Long Date.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    Choosing Long Date

  4. The selected cells will change to the new formatting style. For some number formats, you can then use the Increase Decimal and Decrease Decimal commands (below the Number Format command) to change the number of decimal places that are displayed.

    Clicking the percentage style in the number format list applies _____ decimal places by default.
    The applied number formatting

Click the buttons in the interactive below to learn about different text and number formatting options.

Challenge!

  1. Open an existing Excel 2013 workbook. If you want, you can use our practice workbook.
  2. Select a cell and change the font style, size, and color of the text. If you are using the example, change the title in cell A3 to Verdana font style, size 16, with a font color of green.
  3. Apply bold, italics, or underline to a cell. If you are using the example, bold the text in cell range A4:C4.
  4. Try changing the vertical and horizontal text alignment for some cells.
  5. Add a border to a cell range. If you are using the example, add a border to the header cells in in row 4.
  6. Change the fill color of a cell range. If you are using the example, add a fill color to row 4.
  7. Try changing the formatting of a number. If you are using the example, change the date formatting in cell range D4:H4 to Long Date.

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What is the correct format for percentages in Excel?

The format should resemble the following: 0.00%;[Red]-0.00%. When applied to cells, this format displays positive percentages in the default text color and negative percentages in red. The portion that follows the semicolon represents the format that is applied to a negative value.

How to display decimal places as percentage in AutoCAD?

Display numbers as percentages 1 On the Home tab, in the Number group, click the icon next to Number to display the Format Cells dialog box. 2 In the Format Cells dialog box, in the Category list, click Percentage. 3 In the Decimal places box, enter the number of decimal places that you want to display. ...

How do you show decimal places in Excel?

On the Home tab, in the Number group, click the icon next to Number to display the Format Cells dialog box. In the Format Cells dialog box, in the Category list, click Percentage. In the Decimal places box, enter the number of decimal places that you want to display.

What is the default worksheet text in Excel?

The default worksheet text is __-point calibri. To align currency symbols and decimal points in a column of numbers, you can apply the ____ number format. To combine multiple cells into one combined cell, which of following do you use? To copy a cell's formatting to another cell, which of the following can you use?

Do you have selected a cell with the formula Which of the following can you use to copy the formula to an adjacent cell?

Simply do the following: Select the cell with the formula and the adjacent cells you want to fill. Click Home > Fill, and choose either Down, Right, Up, or Left. Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Ctrl+D to fill the formula down in a column, or Ctrl+R to fill the formula to the right in a row.

Where can you see a brief description of a selected function?

Press the Insert Function icon. You can search for functions by typing in keywords and pressing the Go button, or select functions based on category using the drop down menu. Select a function. View the brief description of what the function does.

When you run the spell checker in a workbook Excel automatically check the spelling in all worksheets at once?

To check spelling for any text on your worksheet, click Review > Proofing > Spelling. Here are some things that happen when you use the spelling checker: If you select a single cell for spell check, Excel checks the entire worksheet, including the comments, page headers, footers and graphics.

Where can you see a preview of how your work sheet will look when printed including headers?

When you select one or more sheets and then click File > Print, you'll see a preview of how the data will appear on the printout. Select the worksheet(s) you want to preview.